The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Thriving ROV firm sets its sights on US
Production: Gulf of Mexico deals
Aberdeenshire-based remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) service provider Rovop will increase its Houston headcount by 10% this year.
The decision comes hot on the heels of a number of contract wins for Rovop in the Gulf of Mexico region.
Rovop, which currently employs around 135 people globally, recently finished a pipeline installation with offshore services firm, Drebbel de Mexico.
The companies will now work together to provide ROV services for pre-lay survey, riser inspection and crossing fabrication with concrete mattresses for a multinational operator.
Wayne Betts, president of Rovop’s Houston operations, said: “We are particularly pleased with our performance in the initial contract with Drebbel because with safety being of paramount importance, precisely positioning the mattresses in zero visibility meant that we eliminated the risk to divers by deploying one of our high-performance ROVs and expert operators. We look forward to working together on future projects.
“We are bucking the trend in an industry by adjusting to the lower oil price and increasing focus on efficiencies to meet our customer’s needs. In Houston, we have seen a steady growth curve since inception and we expect that to continue this year.”
Meanwhile, Aberdeenbased Zenith Energy celebrated the completion of its first offshore well management project. Zenith Energy, set up 2012, provided services to London-based Rockhopper Exploration for the plugging and abandonment of the Ombrina Mare development well off Italy. The deal was worth £250,000 to Zenith.
Zenith Energy’s operations director, Chris Collie, said: “This project marks a significant milestone for Zenith. We have safely and efficiently completed our first offshore well management project, enabling our client to take advantage of a rig of opportunity and permanently abandon their well at significant cost savings due to current market rates.”
Rockhopper’s chief operating officer, Fiona MacAulay, said: “Zenith provided the well engineering personnel to manage our well abandonment operation and they have achieved our objectives of permanently abandoning the Ombrina Mare well.”
“We are bucking the trend in the industry by adjusting to the lower oil price”